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Southern California People & Places - November 2018

Thu, 11/01/2018 - 1:11amadmin

By:

Dick DeLoach

Pacific Best Inc. (PBI), parent company of Pacific Auto Company (PAC), has moved into a new 110,000-square-foot headquarters in Azusa with eight loading docks and three times the space of its previous California DC. “The larger space has two operational benefits: consolidation of existing inventory and it mitigates space limitation as a factor in planning future inventory and production orders,” said Jason Hsu Jason Hsu, senior buyer/project manager. “More space for incoming orders affords broader SKU coverage and deeper safety stock levels. This in turn lowers the per unit cost and helps to offset some of the price increase resulting from the new 2018 tariffs.”

Battery and electric vehicle company BYD (Build Your Dream) has completed a new $5 million, 100,000-square-foot warehouse for its Lancastermanufacturing plant, the firm’s fourth expansion at the location, bringing its total investment in the Lancaster facilities to more than $53 million. “We now have the capacity to produce up to 1,500 battery-electric buses a year, which will go a long way toward creating a cleaner climate and a quieter, more efficient way to travel,” said Bobby Hill, vice president of BYD North America for coach and bus.

The ASCCA Revenue and Benefits Committee has selected Cintas as ASCCA’s October Partner of the Month. “We have built great partnerships with the members of ASCCA, which has provided a great amount of exposure to the Cintas brand and organization,” Thomas Dunne, Key Account Manager for Cintas said. “The ASCCA members who have partnered with Cintas have been able to take advantage of all our services and programs at a special rate.”

Brian Horvath has joined K&N Engineering as its regional sales manager for the Western half of the U.S., responsible for developing sales with traditional warehouse distributors to support the company’s new traditional aftermarket initiative. “He brings a great blend of enthusiasm, experience, and skills to K&N, and I am confident that combination will drive market share growth with our traditional warehouse distributor customers and the markets they serve,” said Jesse Spungin, president of K&N Engineering.

Redline Detectionhas hired David Merendino as senior accountexecutive for mobile and fixed op tool operations. Redline is located in Orange, and is a manufacturer of diagnostic leak detection equipment.

The ASCCA Membership Committee has chosen Dara Bakhshandeh, of Chapter 24 and owner of C&D Auto Care, as its member of the month for September. “Networking with other ASCCA shop owners and learning from their experiences is a huge benefit, plus the support and help you receive in a time of need. Another great benefit is being updated on various bills going through the legislature that could negatively affect our industry.”

The Menifee location of International Auto Crafters (IAC) has officially been certified by Assured Performance. “We’ve worked hard to stay ahead of the curve in the collision repair industry,” said IAC owners Harry and Harvey Ryan. “This official certification demonstrates that commitment to our customers. We take pride in our highly trained technicians who use the latest tools and equipment to deliver a top quality repair and the best customer service.”

IN MEMORIAM

Arnie Sperling, a longtime Los Angeles tire dealer who was instrumental in the formation of the Independent Tire DealersGroup (ITDG) as a founding shareholder, died on Oct. 2, after a long struggle with lung cancer. He was 74. “I have had the pleasure to call on Arnie for close to 25 years and I loved each and every meeting with him,” said Chris Barry, senior sales director for ITDG. Billy Eordekian of 1-800 Every Rim, added, “Arnie was an example of how to be in business and how to be in life.”